07/27/09

decent food, over price

by funnyornot

Excellent atmosphere and outdoor dining patio;

Decent food with good taste, not a large amount, also not WOW impressive;

Price is high for the quality of food.

I like their logo though: local and organic.

• Pros: food
• Cons: price

05/01/09

Wasted ambiance -- food incredibly dull

by bellograzie

My husband and I tried this restaurant based on all the excellent reviews while staying in Durham. It was extremely disappointing. Being Italian myself, I am quite picky about Italian restaurants. When we walked into the restuarant it was completely empty at 5:45pm -- this was our first warning sign. The staff was borderline rude, definately not friendly --we did not have reservations, but were asked if we did even though their reservation book was obviously blank for the hour that we dined. The food was horribly bland and the service extremely average -- this was not what one would expect from a restaurant with an average price range of $27-28. It was sad to see such an architechturally cool place go to waste because of such bad management. Next time we are in Durham, we will trying another Italian restaurant. This one definitely does not deserve a return visit.

• Pros: Architechturally cool
• Cons: Awful food

11/02/08

High quality food, good service

by litlekrug

I LOVE THIS PLACE! The new manager Anthony is PHEMENOAL and treated us like stars! Monday nights are half bottle of wine nights so we've taken the opportunity to sample higher priced bottles that we typically wouldn't try because of the large price tag. Anthony made great recommendations based upon our feedback and he's even gone as far as pair recommendations for food. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE! I'm not from Durham but I had the opportunity to stay for several weeks and visiting Tosca's was a weekly treat and I can't wait to get back to.

• Pros: Phemonial Manager Anthony, most servers a good, exceptioanl food with THE BEST ANTI-PASTA i've had in the area
• Cons: Not really a con but I'd recommend calling to make a reservation if your dining on a Friday or Saturday simply becuase they are so good that everyone wants in.

01/15/08

Excellent for a special occasion

by aprall

We came here for a family event and had a large party (8 people). The service was very much on top of things the whole night, and the food was excellent all around. The only criticism I heard that night was that my husband thought the gnocchi was a small dish, but they were still delicious.

• Pros: Exceelent appetizers, open brick decor
• Cons: Cops in parking lot (why?)

12/29/07

Continually Disappoints

by thecrisper

I live right next door to Tosca in West Village. As a result, I'd like nothing better than to write a positive review of Tosca, but just can't do it. I've been three times and each time I've been disappointed with the quality of the food and service. Frankly, if I were guessing where I was based solely on the food I would say Johnny Carino's. The sauces and ingredients are simply poor and the combinations are uninspired.

The service had largely been fine until my most recent visit which was a nightmare. In chronological order there was an Equal wrapper in my friend's diet coke (seriously), the waitress gave my friend a papercut on his forehead while taking my menu (again, seriously), the waitress brought us another table's drinks, and later forgot to inform me the ravioli special had changed when they ran out of mushrooms. To be fair, everyone can have a bad night and the manager did her best to make it up to us. If not for the consistently below average food I'd be willing to give them a mulligan on this one.

The atmosphere is nice, but ultimately doesn't even come close make up for the overpriced and underwhelming menu items. Skip it.

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Food quality, Overpriced

11/13/07

One of the best meals in town

by lovemcats

Excellent experience all around. Food was exceptional and well poritioned. Great atmosphere. Service was professional and very personal. In my opinion the dessert menu is the weakest link; lacking in varity. But don't let that stop you from trying this place. It was oh... so... good ! I defintely will go back! Enjoy!

• Pros: bread and pear salad
• Cons: dessert menu

06/25/07

Recommended.

by darkblue99

Setting: Lovely renovated warehouse building. Interior: nicely spaced tables and chairs of decent quality.

In search of okay Italian food, we visited Tosca.

Tagliatelli with spinach: Pasta was done correctly. The cream sauce was not good. Use of tomato in

a cream sauce dish along with sauteed spinach is suspect. Portion was VERY big.

Ngocchi: Tomato sauce is too sweet.

Prosecco was $33 a bottle, which is ok when it retails ~$13-15 at Total Wine.

Appetizer plate was ok - but why do you serve hummus in an Italian eatery? (I've never seen

that in all travels in Italia)

Conclusion: For $90 (for 2 people), it's not bad...

• Pros: Nice cosy atmosphere, nice staff, ok food.

02/04/07

Very good food & service

by jbowlingpins

Very good food and service. Staff was attentive; water glasses were kept filled all the time and you can chose between tap or sparkling water. Nice wine selection by the bottle or glass. Not a cheap meal, but, very nice and relaxing experience. Address is a little misleading. Best to enter from the Fernway St side of the complex off of Duke St. During nice weather, outside dining.

• Cons: May have to park in an unpaved lot just down the street (150 ft away)

09/18/06

Outstanding service and ambience, along with top notch food!

by afk27503

On the night we last visited, the restaurant was rather lightly visited, although it was Labor Day weekend and one might expect a lot of people were out of town. The food that we had was truly outstanding, the wine list was very good, the service was attentive and we enjoyed the experience a great deal. I would recommend it, especially as a nice place to take your significant other for a relaxing good time. It's a little out of the way in a location that, but don;t let that deter you. We've been there before and will certainly be there again.

• Pros: Service, broad menu, well prepared and presented.
• Cons: Out of the way location.

Simple atmosphere, muted Italian flavors.

by Contributor

In Short
Tosca is hip, cool, trendy--the sort of place you'd bring a date. Built in the West Village loft apartments, the exposed brick warehouse space feels like Tuscany for hipsters. Fourteen-foot tall ceilings seem to reverberate the noise level even higher. Portions are small and don't come with soup or salad, so the price of your meal can add up quickly. A good and filling bet is the tender pollo con carciofi--chicken with artichokes.

• Pros: great location
• Cons: noisy